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Sunday, 14 April 2013

The visions and miracle at San Sebastián de Garabandal in Northern Spain

There is much said in various revelations and apparitions of modern times about a Warning, a Miracle and a Chastisement in the not too distant future.

Shall we give cognizance to these things? If so, how much and what?

St Pius of Pietrelcina ("Padre Pio") clearly believed in these future developments and, in particular, in the apparitions and messages of our Lady given to the Gonzálezchildren in the little village in the mountains of northern Spain called San Sebastián de Garabandal.

St Pius also believed in the coming miracle and chastisement, whilst recognising that the latter is conditional upon the response of men to the messages of our Lady and our Lord. If men turn from their evil lives and embrace prayer, penance, sacrifice and good lives, then the chastisement will be curtailed or avoided.

But, if they do not, then men can expect a chastisement which has been described at apparitions such at that of our Lady of Akita, in northern Japan, as worse than the Flood - a very sobering and disturbing thought.

These visions given to Sr Agnes Sasagawa have been approved by the local bishop and by Rome so that they, given their apocalyptic content, command our attention.

Additionally, at Akita, the statue of the Virgin wept salt tears in copious quantities - a very clearly miraculous event since wooden or plaster statues cannot weep tears, let alone in such quantities. And, no, for the sceptics, there isn't a secret hose concealed in the statue - anyone is free to check the statue very carefully for themselves!

The miraculous weeping statue of our Lady at Akita, northern Japan

The approved apparitions of our Lady at La Salette in southern France, at Fatima, at Akita and in other places, clearly point to a great chastisement or punishment which will fall upon mankind if there is no turning back to God.

Whilst this may have been deserved in times past, in the 19th century when men were turning openly against God and staging revolutions against the Church and the State, looking to destroy both and to fashion a spurious new world order in the image of man, how much more is it deserved in our own age of utter licentiousness, godlessness and venality when men have become so corrupted by evil?

Shall we then simply ignore the messages that seem to be pouring down from heaven, warning us of the consequences of our ill deeds, and imploring us to return to God and to the good?

The present level of godlessness and atheism seems unprecedented so it would be very strange if God and our Lady stood back, insouciant and unconcerned at the sorry plight of men.

In fact, our Lord and our Lady have done the reverse. They seem to have been appearing everywhere to warn mankind but always, as ever, respecting the free will of men to choose good or ill. The petitions of the Blessed Virgin have been particularly pathetic and imploring to us.

Shall we listen?

Yes, we must!

But we must also discern and not allow ourselves to be led
astray by the Enemy of mankind, the Devil and his legions, who are adept at
imitating apparitions falsely. So we must be cautious of false visions. Let us
judge them, firstly, by listening to the Church's judgment and, absent any such
judgment, by what is taught at such apparitions. If they teach any false or loose doctrine, then we must
beware them.

The Garabandal apparitions were apparitions of Saint Michael the Archangel
and the Blessed Virgin Mary that are claimed to have occurred from 1961 to 1965
to four young schoolgirls in the rural village of San Sebastián de Garabandal
in the Peña Sagra mountain range in the autonomous community of Cantabria in
Northern Spain.

The apparitions drew huge crowds, and featured self-evidently paranormal
phenomena, many filmed or photographed, with thousands of witnesses.

The girls receiving the visions were Mari Loli Mazón(1 May
1949- 20 April 2009), Jacinta González (born 27 April 1949), Mari
Cruz González (born 21 June 1950) and Concepcion
"Conchita" González (born 7 February 1949). The girls were
not related despite having the same name.

I have not found anything contrary to the teaching of the Church in the
messages given at Garabandal. However, everyone must decide for himself by
examining what occurred, and what was said, since the Church has yet to deliver a final judgment.

The children in ecstasy, seeing the Blessed Virgin, at San Sebastian de Garabandal in northern Spain in 1961﻿

It is significant that St Pius believed them. Bl John Paul II was a great devotee of St Pius. That, too, is indicative.

At the
time, the Bishop of Santander determined a non constat—that is, the events
could not be confirmed to be of supernatural origin.In 21
April 1970, Cardinal Franjo Seper, then Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, backed the Bishop, discouraged pilgrimages to Garabandal and
scolded those who sought to minimise the stance of the Bishop who is, in the first
instance, the proper authority in such matters. Cardinal Seper said:"…the
Holy See has never approved even indirectly the Garabandal movement…it has
never encouraged or blessed Garabandal promoters or centres. Rather the Holy
See deplores that fact that certain persons and Institutions persist in setting
out the movement in obvious contradiction to the dispositions of ecclesiastical
authority and thus disseminate confusion among the people especially among the
simple and defenceless”.However,
in April 2007, Joseph “Joey” Lomangino, founder of one of the largest
Garabandal organisations in the USA, received from Conchita a letter, dated 12 February
2007, she had herself received from Archbishop Carlos Sierra of Oviedo, then
the acting Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Santander, which read:“I want
you to know that I am open to receiving and considering all information about
Garabandal, and would like to continue—as long as our Holy Father wishes me to
serve as Apostolic Administrator—the work that my brothers at the Bishopric
have already done in reference to this subject. What I have just done is
authorize the priests to go to Garabandal and hold Holy Mass at the Parish, at
any desired time, and to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to anyone
that wishes to receive it. I am sure the next Bishop will promote further
studies to examine in depth the Garabandal events and will send the findings to
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. I respect apparitions
and have known of authentic conversions. How can we not always feel the need to
open our heart to our Mother Mary to tell her that we need her protection, her
help, her courage, her hope, her faith and her love when faced with these
events! I encourage you to keep maintaining such devotion toward our Mother”.Lomangino, when young, had been in an accident and lost both sight and smell. He regained his sense of smell when in the confessional with St Pius of Pietrelcina. He then visited Garabandal where one of the visionaries was told that he would regain his sight on the day of "the Miracle". Joey Lomangino has since died so, if indeed this was what the visionary was told, it cannot mean that he will regain his sight in this life.

That the visions were paranormal and either supernatural (i.e. from heaven) or praeternatural (i.e. not from heaven but probably from either hell or purgatory) is evident from some of the filmed material made at the time. Particularly striking are the ecstatic walks of the children in which, without looking, they walked without stumbling or falling or stubbing their toes, even when going backwards fast.

The children during ecstatic walks in which they never stumbled or fell while still in ecstatic vision.

Later still, came a miraclulous reception of Holy Communion which was also photographed by on-lookers. The children are said to have received Holy Communion from the hands of angels (who, in turn, took them from tabernacles since angels cannot consecrate the Host).

On this occasion, the Host appeared miraculously as the angel gave it to Conchita on the tongue. To on-lookers it seemed as if the Host materialised out of thin air on the tongue of the child. The following is one of the photographs taken of that incident. it is a poor photograph but its veracity is confirmed by many on-lookers who saw the event.

The miraculous communion of Conchita, poorly photographed but well attested by on-lookers present at the time﻿

These occurrences clearly show something paranormal occurring and of that there can be little doubt. But are they from heaven? That is the question which must be determined ultimately by the Church.

However, for the present, it is a matter of legitimate private judgement (particularly as the 1983 Code of Canon Law allows more freedom to the Faithful to make pilgrimages to not-yet-approved places of apparition).

It is significant that St Pius recognised the visions, as I said, and that nothing contrary to Catholic doctrine is evident in the messages.

The pines above the village of Garabandal where many of the apparitions occurred

Part of one of the messages was very startling at the time, but much less so now when we have the evidence of our own eyes that it is true. On 18 June 1965, our Lady is said to have told the Conchita, the principal visionary, via an angel:

"As my Message of the 18th of October has not been
complied with, and as it has not been made known to the world, I am telling you
that this is the last one. Previously, the Cup was filling; now, it is brimming
over. Many cardinals, many bishops and many priests are following the road to perdition,
and with them they are taking many more souls.Ever less importance is being
given to the Holy Eucharist. We should turn the wrath of God away from us by
our own efforts. If you ask His forgiveness with a sincere heart. He will
pardon you. I, your Mother, through the intercession of St Michael the
Archangel, wish to tell you that you should make amends. You are now being
given the last warnings. I love you very much, and I do not want your
condemnation. Ask Us sincerely and We shall grant your plea. You must make more
sacrifices. Reflect on the Passion of Jesus."Given this, it is perhaps not surprising that Cardinal Seper was reluctant to allow pilgrimages or dissemination of the messages!However, now that we know only too well that many cardinals, bishops and priests are following the road to perdition and are taking many more souls with them, and that devotion to the Holy Eucharist has become weak, we are no longer so startled by this revelation. Alas, it is all too true and many other evils, as well!We are told that, within a year before the Miracle, there will be a world-wide Warning which will be a personal interior vision or locution, with some unknown but powerful external signs, to every person living which will show us our conscience and cause us great grief at our sins and missed graces.It will be a "wake up" call for mankind. We are even told that some will perish as a result of the experience, presumably at the shock of it.

We are told that the Miracle will be a permanent sign at the pine grove, situated just above the little village, the place of many of the apparitions.

Conchita as a grown woman

This "sign" will be something one can appear to touch but not feel, "like smoke" says Conchita González (now Conchita Keena and living in New York with her husband and children), which seems to suggest that it may be some sort of miraculous, transparent image that is intangible, permanently visible at the pine grove.

At Garabandal the messages give us a clue as to when these great events are likely to occur. We are told that the Miracle will occur thus:

1. On a Thursday at 8.30pm;2. On the Feast Day of a martyr of the Blessed Sacrament;3. On a Feast of great ecclesiastical importance;4. In March, April or May; and5. Conchita has been told by our Lady to reveal the exact date, 8 days beforehand.

This may be decipherable, particularly if one accepts that it must occur within the lifetime of the still living Conchita now in her 60s.

One possibility is 13 April. That date is the Feast of Spanish martyr for the Eucharist, Prince St Hermenegild, whose own father, the King of Visigothic Spain, ordered his execution because he would not take communion from an Arian heretical priest.
Prince Hermenegild was imprisoned in Tarragona or
Toledo by his father, King Leovigild. During his captivity in the tower of
Seville, an Arian bishop was sent to St. Hermenegild during the Easter Season,
but he would not accept Holy Communion from the hands of that heretical prelate. King
Leovigild ordered him beheaded and he was martyred on 13 April 586.

Prince St Hermenegild refuses to take communion from the hand of an Arian heretical prelate and is thereafter martyred

It is highly significant that this is the feast of a saint who would not take communion from an heretical priest since there are many today who would consider such an action far too "scrupulous" and who quite happily receive communion from priests with heterodox views and from non-Catholic clergy.

We shall know what date is correct because Conchita will confirm the date, 8 days before, there will be a permanent sign at the pine grove in Garabandal and it will be preceded by the Warning.

We can expect the Warning within a year of that date.

Some have suggested that it might be on the Feast day of another martyr of the Eucharist and a Feast day of our Lady. One obvious date would be the Feast of the Assumption which concides with the Feast of St Tarcisius, the young Roman martyr of the Eucharist, i.e. 15 August.

Thereafter, once the Miracle has occurred and been seen, if men do not heed these great events and return to God, then we can expect a fearsome Chastisement, something, again, which St Pius of Pietrelcina believed in and warned about.

The important point which ought not to require to be made but which plainly does need to be made is that now is the time of grace in which we must seize every opportunity for penance, sacrifice, fasting and reparation, lead good lives, pray the Rosary daily, wear the Brown Scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel and make frequest visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

We should also attend mass as often as we can, receive Holy Communion and, if possible, partake of the daily prayer of the Church (e.g. Lauds, Vespers etc).

I always thought that the date given by Conchita corresponded with the feast of St. Hermenegild. Not only he was a martyr of the Eucharist by refusing to receive communion from an Arian clergy, but thanks to his martyrdom Goths converted to Catholicism (III Council of Toledo, 589 AD) and living rise to the Kingdom of Spain. Catholicism, indeed, was the soul that allowed the Reconquest of Spain from the Muslims alter 711 AD, and, as a result of it, the Spanish monks could evangelize the New World and spread the Catholic faith throughout America.A greeting from Spain.(I apologize for my bad English)

If the local bishop(s) had approved the apparitions at Garabandal, then bishop Ito could not have approved the apparitions in Akita. It would have contradicted the message in Garabandal that the warnings were to be the final warnings. This is centered on the old blind priest; if Garabandal had been approved, and the priest does not regain his eyesight before his death, the Church would have a major credibility issue (at least with me) with regard to all approved Marian apparitions.

If Bishop Ito had approved them anyway, then the credibility issue would already face the Church because of the same contradiction.

It is highly significant that this is the feast of a saint who would not take communion from an heretical priest since there are many today who would consider such an action far too "scrupulous" and who quite happily receive communion from priests with heterodox views and from non-Catholic clergy.

Well, let's not be too hard on people who receive Holy Communion from priests with heterodox views. For one thing, there are parts of the world where priests with heterodox views are almost all one can get. For another, as you know, Christ is the real actor at Mass, so that as long as the priest is a real priest, uses valid matter and proper form for consecration, and has the proper intent, we get the Eucharist, even if the priest himself is displeasing to God. The fact that a priest is president of the Sr. Joan Chittister Fan Club is reprehensible, but does not necessarily invalidate Sacraments administered by him. I would distinguish this from the case of the Arian priest from whom St. Hermenegild refused communion. Since Arians deny the divinity of Christ, and since St. Hermenegild obviously knew the priest in question was Arian, there would be serious grounds to doubt that he had the intent of the Church in confecting the sacrament, and therefore that it was in fact the Sacrament. Also, since Arianism was basically a break-away sect of Catholicism, receiving communion from an Arian would be tantamount to publicly declaring adherence to heresy.

As far as the alleged apparitions at Garabandal, I accept that the occurrences there may have been preternatural, though I'm not convinced they were supernatural. However, I am convinced we are indeed headed for a major chastisement if we don't shape up. In fact, I think we are already in its beginning stages.

And, for the avoidance of doubt, JT, that means QUOTING from the visions, side by side, to SHOW any contradiction, real or apparent, not just giving us the benefit of your opinion and interpretation as to what the words may or may not mean.

Get the point?

I am sure your opinions are valid and interesting but let the people judge for themselves by QUOTING the words you say contradict each other.

We seem not to be communicating. I am not talking about deliberately going to heretical sects for the Sacraments. I am talking about having recourse to priests with nutty ideas. I am not required to examine the state of my priest's soul, or to bow out of the Church because all the priests are infected with nutty ideas (and, in fact, where I live, most are, to one degree or another). My obligations still stand.

As for my being arrogant, I really don't see what grounds you have to arrive at such a judgment. I simply remain unconvinced, not unlike the local bishop. The point of my comment was not to make a case on the authenticity of Garabandal one way or the other anyway.

As to Garabandal, Bishop Fernandez’s successor Bishop Eugenio Beita Aldazabal 1962–1965) said on 8 July 1965: “we have found no grounds for an ecclesiastical condemnation, either in the doctrine or in the spiritual recommendations that have been divulged".

By June 1970 the next Bishop of Santander Jose Cirarda Lachiondo (1968–1971) published his supporting view on the doctrinal integrity of the messages of Garabandal, saying they do “not contain anything contrary to traditional Church teaching on Faith and Morals".

However, Bishop of Santander Msgr Antonio del Val Gallo (1971-1991) took a more actively supportive view of the Garabandal apparitions.

Here is an interview with him which reveals his view fairly fully:

http://www.garabandal.org/vigil/interview.shtml

It is abundantly clear that Bishop del Val was far from condemning the apparitions and considered them valid.

Here is what Bishop Vilaplana of Santander wrote to Donal Foley of Nottingham in England:

"Dated 28th November 1992, the Congregation sent me their reply in which it is stated that, after having examined carefully all the documents, they did not find it necessary to intervene directly or to withdraw this affair from the ordinary jurisdiction of the Bishop of Santander, which is his by right. Previous declarations from the Holy See agree with this statement. In the same letter it is suggested that if I considered it appropriate, I should publish a declaration to reiterate the fact that there is no evidence to support the supernatural nature of the alleged apparitions, and so make my own the unanimous position of my predecessors."

Quite apart from the fact that the position of his predecessors was clearly NOT unanimous (as Bishop Vilaplana must have been fully aware) it is clear, even from himself, that the CDF had NOT pronounced judgement on Garabandal in their communication to him but merely left it to him to resolve as he sees fit.

Here is a summary of the views of the Bishops of Santander, from a website that is very far from being hostile to the authority of the Church hierarchy:

http://www.mgr.org/garabandalClarificationPart2.html

You will see that the present Bishop is far from hostile to Garabandal, and neither was his predecessor.

So, if you think the Church has declared Garabandal unworthy of belief, or condemned it, you are, I'm afraid, not right.

You are also not right about the view of the local bishop.

The reality is that the ecclesiastical jury is still out ad thus we are permitted to believe it. Moreover, under the present canon law we are entitled to visit the site and pray.

Sorry, but the facts speak for themselves. Your view is merely your own private opinion and no more. It is, moreover, in conflict with 3 Bishops of Santander.

Thank you for your response. Your right! I shouldn't waste your blogspace with unsubstantiated opinion. I have benefitted immensly from your work.

The first message of Mary at Garabandal (Oct. 18, 1961) warned of a chastisement: "...we must lead good lives. If we do not, a chastisement will befall us. The cup is already filling up, and if we do not change, a very great chastisement will come upon us."

The second message (June 18, 1965), which you quote, follows up the first: "...As my message of October 18 has not been complied with and has not been made known to the world, I am advising you that this is the last one. Before, the cup was filling up. Now it is flowing over." She adds: "I, your mother, through the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel, ask you to amend your lives. You are now receiving the last warnings."

The message given to Sr. Sasagawa on Oct. 13, 1973 included the following: "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead."

I ask, was the warning Our Lady pronounced at Garabandal on Jun 18, 1965 the last warning of a chastisement? The answer must be yes, if it was correctly reported. It must follow that the subsequent warning given to Sr. Sasagawa must be referring to a different chastisement. But it sounds like the same one to me. There may be an explanation for this but I have to take these messages literally. If she said they were the last warnings then they were the last warnings.Yet, the apparitions in Akita are fully approved by the current bishop (who can revoke that approval) and the apparitions of Garabandal, which, as your link makes clear, have gained support over the years, are nevertheless not fully approved. I will wait to hear from bishop Zamora on the subject. But I don't think they can both be fully approved due to that apparent contradiction. Yet, if they both have approvals, I would set aside my concerns.Thank you, ...jt

"I ask, was the warning Our Lady pronounced at Garabandal on Jun 18, 1965 the last warning of a chastisement? The answer must be yes, if it was correctly reported. It must follow that the subsequent warning given to Sr. Sasagawa must be referring to a different chastisement. But it sounds like the same one to me."

If I tell my son, "...this is the last time I'm telling you to clean your room or you'll be punished," and the next day, room still dirty, I tell him to clean his room, then I've contradicted myself and confused the kid.

"I, your mother, through the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel, ask you to amend your lives. You are now receiving the last warnings." (June 18,1965)

"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity" (Oct. 13, 1973)

Both are conditional warnings of the same event.

If I can get you to agree that there is at least an appearance of contradiction in the messages of the two apparitions, then kindly explain what I'm missing. I can't. I've tried.

The Church forbids inter-communion with heretical or non-Catholic sects, NOT because they do not confect the Sacrament (many of them, in fact, do), but simply because they are heretical or non-Catholic.

It is a matter of public scandal and a proper understanding of the nature and purpose of Holy Communion.

As with all such laws, there may be circumstances where they are inapplicable or modified e.g. at time of death. Canon law allows for such situations and for sound reasons.

But the principal rule is clear and the reasons are likewise clear.

Sacramental Communion is a sign of communion in belief and in charity.

If one is out of charity by virtue of sin, then one may not commune.

If one is not in communion by belief then one also may not commune.

Communion is a sign of union and unity, not disunity.

Thus one is not in communion with those who hold heretical beliefs but have yet to be formally and personally condemned, but their rejection of the Catholic faith is open.

If their rejection is occult, or hidden, then, of course, no-one will know they are at odds with the Church's teaching and so no-one can be blamed for inter-communing.

But so long as someone openly, pertinaciously, publicly and genuinely rejects a teaching of Catholic dogma, it is forbidden to inter-commune with them since they have, openly, rejected the faith.

Indeed, the most dangerous enemy of any faith or organisation is he or she who claims to be part of the faith or organisation but is actively seeking to destroy it from within.

If you want to comment or change any comments, or add anything, then please feel free so to do.

I have no idea what you mean by "nutty" ideas, if you do not mean heterodox. In this context, it is undefined.

If a priest considers that we should not eat meat because that will cause global warming, I consider that a silly (perhaps you would call it "nutty") idea but it is not heterodox. Therefore I have no problem receiving communion from such a priest.

But so long as someone openly, pertinaciously, publicly and genuinely rejects a teaching of Catholic dogma, it is forbidden to inter-commune with them since they have, openly, rejected the faith.

Indeed, the most dangerous enemy of any faith or organisation is he or she who claims to be part of the faith or organisation but is actively seeking to destroy it from within.

No-one need "examine the state of... soul" of your priest. All you need to do is to reject him and his open denials of faith or avowals of heterodoxy.

That does not, of course, mean rejecting them as persons but merely recognising the truth that you are not "in Communion" with them and ought not, save according to the allowed exceptions, to receive Communion from them. That can be done politely, charitably, quietly and discreetly.

If there are no orthodox priests around, that is probably one of the exceptional situations but you might want to check.

There is one more thing that has been overlooked: the Jubilee Year 2017 will be in Santo Toribio de Liebana, near Garabandal, which houses the largest fragment of the True Cross of all Christendom. It is one of the few places, along with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Caravaca de la Cruz, where one can gain the jubilee.

wow for an evangelist spreading the word of God Tribunus is rather extremely uncharitable to JT and scares of potential converts. St Peter the first pope teaches us to give the reason for our hope "with gentleness and respect". On the www you are showcasing yourself as an ambassador for the Church, please try not to destroy her teaching on Charity.

Best answers come from the heart. If your close to God and ho.est with yourself and pray the rosary prolerly and are being good you would k ow the answers! On Garabandal; I believe that Our lady said she wouldn't be returning and that was her speaking onlu to Garabandal

Tribunus, Chill, dude. I was making a general statement. Just saying it's more difficult to make a prediction since the "ecclesiastical event" is not a yearly occurrence. You seem over-sensitive and hyper-critical of commenters. Slick

Your case is that because our Lady keeps saying that her warnings are the last warnings she is going to give this necessarily means that she is confined to giving such final warnings in one place, and once only.

You have no logical basis for such an assertion.

You might just as well say that our Lady should have given one warning, only once, at Fatima. In fact, of course, she repeated her warning several times.

If I can get you to agree that there is at least an appearance of contradiction in your "argument" then kindly explain what your problem is. But I can't. I've tried. You stopped listening.

I was referring to the death of Joey Lomagino; may he be enjoying the joys of heaven he so longed for. The reference to Mary having stated that "These are the last warnings" (plural) can logically refer to the multiple visitations the seers experienced, but not necessarily. So I agree, but it is an equivocation, and that's what bothered me. I studied biblical exegisis for years as an evangelical before I converted to Roman Catholicism, you seemed to have percieved that in your argument.

In any case, I can't see an approval from anyone forthcoming after the death of Joey, who was to have regained his sight.

Hello "Tribunus". I loved reading about the anticipated date you plausibly justify for the miracle as being on 13th April 2017. We are getting closer and closer to that date and the world is certainly deteriorating more and more. In some ways the time seems short but in others it is so far away!! Are you still thinking along the same lines as when you wrote this? Thank you for your blog. I live in hope for 13 Apr 17! Cheers, Mary

Garabandal has NEVER been condemned ! Unity publishes lie on to of lie and refused to post any rebuttle ! I have tried numerous times ,but my letters go unanswered. AND Three Popes have been nin favor of Garabandal SAINT John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and and the Pope who actually met Conchita , Pope Paul VI !

Dear Tribunis,Since the announcement of the Year of Mercy by Pope Francis I can't help but think how appropriate it would be for the warning to occur in that year. God's mercy will certainly be exercised abundantly when we receive the warning - the warning itself is a sign of mercy, but so too will be the graces that flow when people see the light and turn back to God seeking his very mercy!!! My expectation for the warning in that period is therefore increasing followed by the fulfilment of the miracle in the year after on Holy Thursday 13th April 2017 as you aptly consider. I read at https://whatisgarabandal.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/a-synod-before-the-warning-update/ that a synod would be followed by schism. While this site ponders the possibility of it being a Eucharistic one I am anticipating trouble brewing after the regrouping of the Synod on the Family and Marriage after the church’s teaching on these is re-proclaimed. So if the claim that this was a Garabandal prophecy then I would this is probable. In the meantime we must accelerate our prayers for all those who have abandoned the church in this last 50 years particularly and those of no faith at all that they will all respond positively towards the warning. God bless, Mary

Watch the videos of the Girls of Garabandal!!It doesn't matter if statements contradict other apparitions or Joey Lomangino died or any other contradictory issues. Just watch the many videos of the girls walking backwards with their heads looking straight up in a very awkward and uncomfortable position as they walk up and down steep hills over boulders and obstacles in perfect unison. Try this yourself in your dining room, walk backwards while tilting your head straight up, it's almost impossible to walk even a few feet. No-one will ever convince me that this was not a miracle after seeing the videos. If you search you can find many sources of the various videos and witness it for yourself, forget about all this statement or issues jibberish!

Have a meditation, where in the sequence of events is placed the Warning...? Isn't it before the Great Miracle? and this Miracle won't be happening within the year following the Warning? (meaning, if the Warning is today.. the Miracle can happened between tomorrow and 364 days after). I think we need to pay attention and pray for the Warning that will be our life encounter with the Holy Spirit, and after that, discus about the Miracle to come.

Hi There, My name is Hannah Gonzales, i was wondering if there was a way to write or get ahold of Conchita Gonzales. If you know. Could you please respond my email address is kayla1981@yahoo.com. It would be very much appreciated.

Okay, I am generally wary of private revelation without full blown approval from Rome. However the idea of God acting and helping us in this time through Mary is so beautiful. So, I do hope it is true. However, to help dispell doubt, could I please have your opinion on things now that Mr. Joey has passed on? Thank you!

I have several videos on Garabandal, and just watched a new video, and it also says 40 minutes into the video that the "Warning" will occur before the "Miracle" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jahp1-PMOeo&ebc=ANyPxKoa5Pku0jT9vMb4hgNpiSpQKHAAWSQJEtnQVTiOKEr29AhD-6Hjew8nKvLdvK9oBiMVqNGAGpOOcUK7uuWqb1l3fw4SXw .

Please, you must change your information, unless your purpose is to confuse GOD'S people. I believe in the Warning, because I was given the Warning 15 years ago in my life to know that it is going to happen, and I also believe that the Warning will take place in November of this year. Your estimation of the miracle is very interesting to me, but the Warning is more severe, and souls could perish as Conchita says from the mere fright of seeing their own soul, when it is presented by GOD to the whole world.

If you believe that the Great Miracle is April 13, 2017, then what has been given to me in mysticism by GOD as the Warning occurring in November could very well take place. The Warning is more urgent to know about, than the miracle.

I urge you to change what your article says immediately, because it is not what the girls were told, and will confuse the faithful. You must for GOD'S people print a partial retraction to correct the wrong you have written. It is easy to make a mistake, but easily corrected understanding that we are human, so please correct it at your earliest convenience.

1. WORLD WIDE WARNING FROM GOD – to be seen and felt internally by ALL the world. At that moment we will see all the wrong we have done and all the good we could have done and this will be sent to purify us and correct the conscience of the world to prepare us for the great miracle.

2. MIRACLE – It will happen on a Thursday at 8:30pm on or between April 8th - 16th. Conchita knows the day that it will occur. It will take place on the Feast day of a Martyred Saint of the Eucharist, not on the Feast day of Mamma Mary but it will coincide with an important event of the church. All those present in Garabandal will see it, ALL the sick will be healed, ALL the non-believers will believe and Russia will be converted because of it. Father Louis Andrew will be found incorrupt on the day after the miracle.

3. A PERMANENT SIGN OVER THE PINES – This sign will be left as a reminder till the end of time. It will be sign never seen before by anyone.

4. THIS IS CONDITIONAL – If mankind does not fulfill Mamma Mary’s messages, GOD will send a chastisement upon the earth. Mari Loli, Jacincta and Conchita were shown the chastisement over a period of two nights. On the second night 300 people were there watching the girls as they screamed and shouted in terror. All those people afterwards went to confession and prayed because of what they saw and heard. Mari Loli was told that it will look as though the church is finished. Mamma Mary also said it will look that way because of communism.

Either you do not understand English very well or you have not properly read what I wrote.

Let me repeat it for you:

"We are told that, within a year before the Miracle, there will be a world-wide Warning which will be a personal interior vision or locution, with some unknown but powerful external signs, to every person living which will show us our conscience and cause us great grief at our sins and missed graces."

READ IT AGAIN CAREFULLY!

It says "BEFORE THE MIRACLE". Can you see that? B-E-F-O-R-E the Miracle.

In other words it says exactly what you say.

So why are you telling me to "change my information"?

If you are going to tell people to change or correct their information you better make sure you read their information correctly first!

Hi Hannah Gonzales, and thank you for your interest. I am afraid that I do not know Conchita and do not have any contact details for her. I believe that she lives in New York City and that her husband owns a pizza parlour. There may be something more on-line or somekind soul reading this may have more details. Sorry I could not be more helpful. God bless you!

My concern with Garabandal, besides the claims that it is not endorsed by the Church, is the fact that the children walked backwards. Even at times they were forced to their knees or with their heads backwards unnaturally. Yet, doing anything backwards is characteristically demonic. What's more, the Virgin asked that the girls not to bring blessed sacramentals [rosaries, crucifixes, etc.], for she wanted to bless them herself... yet of course, Mary is not a priest and cannot bless things.

These facts are more concerning than unfulfilled blind man prophecies etc. Yet, I must admit that there are a number of remarkable coincidences for that date in 2017, including the fact that 2017 is 500 years since Luther and 100 years since Fatima. As well, the St Hermenegild connection is fascinating given Amoris Laetitia and the scandal that has caused.

I want to bring to your attention that when the Holy Madonna at Garabandal said that it will be her last warning, she was referring to Garabandal and confined to Garabandal. Thus the warnings stopped at Garabandal. If you read all the other apparitions (except Medjugorje hoax - Pope John Paul II condemned it for good reason) at La Salette, Fatima, Garabandal and Akita, you will see that they are confined to their respective apparitions. The Holy Madonna is not putting all her eggs in one basket. There is a reason, contextually based ( based on cultural customs and the degree to the gain / or loss of faith) why she has appeared around the world. The message is the same but the context is different. Thus there is no contradiction.

Regarding the death of Joey Lomangino, I have contemplated it deeply. I received an answer. At least part of the miracle to take place will be an affirmation of the greatest tenet of Christianity: the resurrection! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ promised that that the pious, righteous and faithful will be resurrected in what is known as the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6). This is truly a blessing and I suspect that Joey Lomangino will be one of the first to be honoured with this gift. Thus, in the least he will have his eyesight restored.

Sadly, it appears that the chastisement will happen and it will be terrible. Many Christians will be martyred for being faithful to Jesus Christ. However, they too will be rewarded in the manner of Joey Lomangino, and reign with Christ on Earth for a thousand years.

A possible solution to the prophecy regarding Joey Lomangino's new eyes: Check out this website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVN4q2dCPN0It describes a dream that Kevin Peters had regarding the tribulation. The dream begins with a very loud trumpet like blast followed by people resurrecting from their graves. This occurs before the tribulation. In addition, in the Bible, the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, Chapter 4, Verses 15-17 (Douay Rheims Version) "For the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, SHALL RISE FIRST. Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words."Hence, it is possible that during the Great Miracle that many will rise from the dead as Kevin Peter's saw in his dream and that Joey will be given his glorified body, with new eyes, and see the Great Miracle of Garabandal.This will be followed by 1290 days of tribulation of the Antichrist and False Prophet as explained in Daniel Chapter 12 verse 11. This is followed by three days of darkness. Then the three frogs, as mentioned in the Apocalypse, Chapter 16, Verse 13, who are Satan, the Antichrist possessed by Satan, and the False Prophet, will be cast into the pool of fire, burning with brimstone as explained in the Apocalypse, Chapter 19, Verse 20. Then there will be 1000 years of peace as mentioned in the Apocalypse Chapter 20.

Thanks for this. I found this page by chance, is there a site on Facebook, YouTube, or any other source directing people to this information? If this event does occur in 2017 (or whenever it occurs), we need to be as prepared as can be. I for one, will begin visiting the Holy Sacrament more often and I hope others do so as well. Thanks again.

I think JT was concerned about the phrase "these are my last warnings" which the Blessed Mother said in Garabandal. That those words would mean there should be no other apparitions by the Blessed Mother to warn us until the prophesied events have come to pass...

Today is 1/31/17. Seeing what is currently going on in the world - I think you are probably right about April 13th and the miracle. I heard that this so-called planet X is suppose to arrive right after May 13th. Anyway, there was a synod and we are now going into a schism. I'm expecting a Russian invasion and World War 3 any day now with the annihilation of many nations (Fatima). I just hope that the USA isn't the 1st to be annihilated.

How & by what mode of communication will Conchita announce the date of the Miracle? If the date of the Miracle is to be April 13, 2017, then she should be announcing the date within 2 days on April 5th, 2017. Where do I go to find her announcement if one is forthcoming? Also, since there has been no worldwide WARNING yet, one could expect that if all else is true, that this event should happen anytime now; perhaps in the 24-48 hour period just before Holy Thursday for the purpose of Our Lord & Our Lady to clearly tie it to the Miracle to occur on that day. RSVP-ASAP.

Indeed so. Nothing said or seen. So, we have 2 options: either it is a different date or the apparitions were preternatural and not supernatural. If a different date, which one? I can find know other martyr of the Blessed Sacrament in the Roman Calendar in the months of March, April or May. Perhaps I have overlooked. Can you find one? If not, then the next concatentation with a Feast of the Blessed Sacrament will be after Conchita is dead.

Question: When you say March, April or May, is that because it is supposed to happen in the spring? I saw some reference from another prophesy that said something about something happening in the early days of the year. But then I thought, by which calendar? If it is by the Jewish calendar, the year starts in September in 2017. Just a thought.

The message said specifically said March, April or May. That's why. the movable part is the Feast of a martyr of the Blessed Sacrament coinciding with a major Feast of the Blessed Sacrament. I can find none other but let me know if you have any luck...

Hello again, Tribunus. I have noticed that the feast of the Ascension in 2021 is on Thursday 13th May which is the feast of Blessed Imelda who not only died after receiving her first Holy Communion on 13th May in a Martyrdom of love, but in that year it was also the Ascension day - a feast of great ecclesiastical importance (which by the way is also the feast of Our Lady of Fatima). What are your thoughts on this being a viable date satisfying the requirements of when the great Miracle might occur? Thanks again for your blog and God bless. Mary

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in hoc signo vinces

The Roman Emperor and Caesar Augustus Constantine I the Great saw a vision of the Chi-Rho symbol of Christ and the words, in Greek, Εν τουτο νικα (pronounced: "en touto nika") - usually rendered in Latin since then as IN HOC SIGNO VINCES ("in this sign conquer"), before his great victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge on the edge of the City of Rome. Not long after he liberated Christianity throughout the Empire, later himself becoming a Christian. Although Christianity was not made the religion of the Roman Empire until the next emperor, Theodosius, nevertheless winning this battle, seemingly by divine inspiration, caused Constantine to defend, and later to convert to, Christianity. So this victory is said to mark the beginning of the nearly two thousand years of the Christian and Catholic Roman Empire.

imago domini jesu christi

The Holy Face of Our Lord Jesus Christ has been partly re-constructed from the image on the Shroud of Turin. The shroud was loudly dismissed by a scoffing, but often rather ignorant, secular mass media but the latest view is that its image is inexplicable by modern science and most likely miraculous. St Therese of the Child Jesus was devoted to the Holy Face and many saints have had visions of our Lord's face.

Dominus Jesus Christus Rex

This icon of Christos Pantokratoros, Christ the Sovereign-King, reminds us that Christ's rule must be recognised in this world as also the next. His rule and his descent from the tribe of Judah, the royal tribe of Israel, was prophesied in Scripture: "The sceptre shall not be taken from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of the nations". (Gen 49:10 - Vespers Antiphon for Advent). For our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is not only King of the Jews, spiritually, but also in the flesh, through both his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Princess of Juda, but also through St Joseph, Crown Prince of Juda, and direct descendant of King David, King of the Jews.

ecce homo - behold the man! behold the king of kings!

"And the soldiers plaiting a crown of thorns, put it upon his head; and they put on him a purple garment. And they came to him, and said: Hail, king of the Jews; and they gave him blows. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith to them: Behold, I bring him forth unto you, that you may know that I find no cause in him. Jesus therefore came forth, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And he saith to them: Behold the Man!" (John 19:2-5)

whom kings adore

"When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of King Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him". (Matt 2:1-2)

before abraham was, i am

The tetragrammaton, written in Hebrew as YHVH, meaning "I am Who am", signified the ineffable name of God which, having been told to Moses directly by God, was so deeply sacred that Jews were forbidden to say it lest it sound like a claim to be divine. Thus, in prayer, they called God Adonai (your Majesty) or Elohim (God, in the royal plural). When our Lord said "Before Abraham was, I AM" He was thus saying to the Jews very directly that He was God. Catholics used to have a great reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus so that they bowed whenever it was said but, alas, now, many have become careless.

The Queen of Heaven

"And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38). "And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him." (Luke 1:46-50). "But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19)

The trinity of royal and sacred languages: Hebrew, Greek and Latin, used over the Cross, and in the Scriptures and liturgies of the Christian Church, correspond to Father, Son and Holy Ghost, respectively. No Christian could call themselves educated, in times past, without knowing at least one or two of these Classical languages. The Latin language created a unique international community of scholars. Latin remains the primary language of the Church but nowadays even the clergy hardly know it, let alone Greek or Hebrew. Some foolish clergy even rejoice in their lamentable ignorance.

sacred music: chant

Chant goes back to the Jewish Temple worship. It was continued in the Christian Church and codified by Pope St Gregory the Great and was, thereafter, often called Gregorian chant. The oldest liturgy in the Christian Church could be seen in the Easter Triduum services of the Roman rite up to 1955. The ancient Offices of Tenebrae (Matins and Lauds of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) are virtually unchanged since the earliest times.

CATHOLIC ORIGINS OF MODERN SCIENCE

Modern science has its origins firmly and centrally in the bosom of the Roman Catholic Church. Johannes Buridanus, (1295-1363), or Jean Buridan (pictured above), was a great French priest and scientist, teaching at the University of Paris, who sowed the seeds of modern science by reviving the concept of impetus, an understanding of motion first proposed by John Philoponus (c.490-c.570), the priest-scientist of the ancient University of Alexandria known by Arabs as Yaḥyā al-Naḥwī (or “John the Grammarian”). Philoponus had broken with the Aristotelian–Neoplatonic tradition, questioning Aristotelian dynamics in favour of the concept of impetus. This concept preceded the concept of inertia, which Sir Isaac Newton effectively stole, unacknowledged, from Buridan. Buridan, in turn, had borrowed the idea (but with acknowledgement, unlike Newton) from Friar Francis of Marchia (c.1285-c.1344), an earlier Franciscan scholar at the University of Paris, who had used it as an analogy of the effect of grace received in Holy Communion. The origins of modern science thus derive from an analogy of the Blessed Sacrament. John Philoponus had also argued against the eternity of the world, a theory which formed the basis of pagan attacks on the Christian doctrine of Creation, very similar to those mounted by unoriginal thinkers of today like Professor Richard Dawkins. Philoponus’ critique of Aristotle was a major influence on Italian scholar, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Italian scientist, Galileo Galilei, who cited Philoponus frequently. Pictured above is a likeness of Jean Buridan, arguably the father of modern science.

Roman Emperor

Defender of civilisation

Roman Pontiff

Teacher of civilisation

Roman rite

Spirit of civilisation

holy church & holy empire

Sancta Romana Ecclesia (SRE) - the Holy Roman Church, of which all the Cardinal-Princes of the Church were, and are still today, designated. The Cardinals were, originally, the curia (or court) of the Roman Pontifex Maximus or Pope that formed his chief advisers. The right of the Senate, clergy and commons (Senatus Populusque Romanus - SPQR) of the city of Rome to elect the Pope eventually devolved to the Cardinals. They held the highest rank in the Church after the Pope.

Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI) - the Holy Roman Empire, of which all the Prince-Electors of the Empire were, until the end of the Empire in 1806, designated. The Prince-Electors were, originally, the curia (or court) of the Roman Caesar Augustus or Emperor that formed his chief advisers. The right of the Senate, clergy and commons (Senatus Populusque Romanus - SPQR) of the city of Rome to elect the Emperor eventually devolved to the Prince-Electors. They held the highest rank in the Empire after the Emperor.

Both Pope and Emperor had the right of veto in the election of the other. The Pope also had the right to excommunicate an heretical Emperor and relieve his subjects of their fealty and the Emperor had the right to depose a Pope who excommunicated himself by publicly teaching heresy. No public enemy of the Church could thus, in theory, hold either office.

The imperial veto was only abolished in 1912 after it had been successfully used, by the Austrian Kaiser (Caesar or Emperor) Francis Joseph through the Cardinal Archbishop of Cracow, to elect a saint, Pope St Pius X. The new pope feared that in an increasingly anti-Catholic world the power might be misused in the future, so he abolished it.

The imperial veto had earlier been used by Austrian Kaiser (Caesar and Emperor) Francis Joseph to help elect Blessed Pope Pius IX, also.

"But they said: Lord, behold here are two swords. And he said to them, it is enough." (Luke 22:38)

crown of charlemagne

The imperial prayers

"O God, who prepared the Roman Empire for the preaching of the Gospel of the eternal King, extend to Thy servant, our Emperor, the armoury of heaven, so that the peace of the churches may remain undisturbed by the storms of war. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

[From the Mass Pro Imperatore for the Holy Roman Emperor, used also at the Coronation of an emperor, when the Emperor-elect was anointed by the Cardinal-bishop of Ostia, given the sword and orb by the Pope, ordained by him a Sub-deacon and then crowned Caesar semper Augustus, Romanorum Imperator with the sacred crown of Charlemagne, after which, as Deacon, he served the papal mass.]

"Let us pray also for our most Christian Emperor that the Lord God may reduce to his obedience all barbarous nations for our perpetual peace. O almighty and eternal God, in whose hands are all the power and right of kingdoms, graciously look down on the Roman Empire that those nations who confide in their own haughtiness and strength, may be reduced by the power of Thy right hand. Through the same Lord..."

[Good Friday Intercessions for the Roman Emperor, said after those for pope and clergy in the Roman rite until 1955]

"Regard also our most devout Emperor[Name] and since Thou knowest, O God, the desires of his heart, grant by the ineffable grace of Thy goodness and mercy, that he may enjoy with all his people the tranquillity of perpetual peace and heavenly victory."

[The imperial prayers came at the end of the Exsultet at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday until they were abolished in 1955 by the impious hand of Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, the great architect of the modern, ungainly, liturgy]

arms of imperial austria

pax romana et christiana

"Peace is not merely the absence of war... Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity. Earthly peace is the image and fruit of the peace of Christ, the messianic 'Prince of Peace'." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2304-5)

Caesar Augustus

Caesar Augustus was the ancient title of the Roman Emperor, adopted by the Roman Catholic Christian emperors after Emperor Constantine I the Great, and derived from Julius Caesar and from his nephew, Octavian, called Augustus, the first Emperor. Constantine I the Great preserved the title, as did the Byzantine Roman emperors, and it was later adopted by the Russian kings called Tsar, meaning Caesar. When Pope St Leo III, at the call of the Roman Senate, clergy and commons, transferred the imperial crown from the usurping and heretical Empress Irene in Byzantium (who had slain her own son, Emperor Constantine VI) to Charlemagne, King of the Franks, on Christmas Day 800 AD in Rome, he crowned him Caesar Augustus. In the German of the Teutonic tribes this was rendered Kaiser (Caesar) and later, Der Heilige Römische Kaiser or "Holy Roman Emperor". The last Roman Emperor, Kaiser Franz II (pictured above in traditional Coronation vestments and the Crown of Charlemagne), was overthrown by Corsican revolutionary and imprisoner of popes, Napoleon Bonaparte, who ushered in the modern era of moral, political and cultural corruption from which the world has been suffering ever since.

The Holy Roman Emperor

Kaiser (Caesar and Emperor) Francis I was the Duke of Lorraine, formerly an imperial territory, when he married the Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresia. She then had him made Holy Roman Emperor (after due election by the Prince-Electors). He is seen here in the sacred coronation vestments and the sacred Crown of the Emperor Charlemagne. He wears the imperial cope and the imperial stole as well as an imperial alb, all privileges of an emperor. In his hand he carries the imperial sceptre and wears the imperial sword. At his coronation, the Emperor is made a deacon, reads the Gospel and serves the Pontifical mass. The above representation is of the central painting in the Giants' Hall of the Innsbruck Hofburg, or Court Palace, which was magnificently re-decorated by Queen-Empress Maria Theresia during the reign of her husband, King-Emperor (Kaiser) Francis I, and further re-decorated after his death. Their reign was a highly successful one, materially, politically and spiritually.

S.R.I. Sacri Romani Imperii

In the same way that Cardinals are designated S.R.E - Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae - "of the Holy Roman Church" - so the Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire were designated S.R.I. - Sacri Romani Imperii - "of the Holy Roman Empire" - the "two swords" of the Church, the spiritual and the temporal, being thereby represented. At the apex of the spiritual was the Pope, the Pontifex Maximus of ancient Rome, and at the apex of the temporal was the Emperor, the Caesar Augustus (in German, Kaiser) of ancient Rome, here pictured above in the person of Emperor and Caesar (Kaiser) Joseph I. He is pictured wearing the sacred Crown of Charlemagne and the sacred coronation vestments and accoutrements. Emperor (Kaiser) Joseph (26 July 1678-17 April 1711) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Emperor Leopold I, by his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene, Countess-Palatine of Neuburg. Joseph was crowned King of Hungary at the age of nine in 1687, and King in Germany at the age of eleven in 1690. He succeeded to the imperial throne and that of Bohemia when his father died. Although not a devout monarch, he nonetheless ruled reasonably and kept the Empire together and viable.

THE KNIGHTS OF RELIGION (1)

To defend Europe, the Holy Land and Jerusalem and the Holy Places, the Military-Religious Orders of Knighthood came into existence and were later given legal and special recognition by the Church. The most famous of these Orders were the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller of St John, and the Knights Teutonic of St Mary of the Germans, the first two founded by Frenchmen and the latter by a German. They were the most formidable foes of the Islamic Jihadists who sought to conquer Jerusalem and thereafter Europe. They were military armies of knights, sergeants and men-at-arms, but also religious orders whose full members took the vows of religion - poverty, chastity and obedience. Their armies served on the frontiers of Christendom (particularly the Holy Land) but they kept many estates in Europe, run by their quartermaster knights and sergeants, to raise the necessary funds for the defence of Christendom. Because they were so trusted and well-disciplined, they were sought out by the rich and noble to protect their assets and, charging a fee for these services, these Orders became wealthy and were able to defend the boundaries of Christendom robustly. This extended even to providing naval patrols of the Mediterranean Sea against Jihadist pirates and Barbary (Berber) raiding corsairs who plundered the coasts of Europe, burning, pillaging and taking slaves, raping women and taking them as concubines back to Africa. These orders of knights were thus the greatest exemplars of Christian chivalry.

THE KNIGHTS OF RELIGION (2)

The knights of religion thus became the first and foremost defenders of Christian civilisation against its enemies. The Templars were suppressed due to the greed and ambition of King Phillipe IV "le Bel" of France, who was like a French precursor of England's King Henry VIII. The Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights were suppressed in Protestant countries at the Protestant Reformation and the Teutonic Knights continued in German lands until the end of the First World War which caused the virtual abolition of the Catholic kingdoms. Today only the Knights Hospitaller of St John are extant. After the Islamic victory in Palestine, when the last Hospitaller castle fell at the Siege of Acre in 1291, they went to Rhodes and thereafter to Malta which they famously, and successfully, defended against the massive Ottoman Muslim Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Ever since they have been called the Knights of Malta. Today the Knights of Malta have reverted to their first vocation, that of hospitaller, caring for the sick poor, re-living their ancient title, inscribed on the portals of their conventual churches, Servi Domini Nostri Pauperum Infirmorum - "the servants of our Lords, the sick poor", treating the sick poor as they would our Lord Himself - whilst continuing to defend religion. They have priories and associations all over the world, dispense around $1 billion of aid each year and their Headquarters is in Rome. They are recognised as a sovereign state, have ambassadors and their own passports, and the Grand Master is both a religious superior and a ruling prince. Pictured is Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette leading the knights at the Great Siege of 1565. Valetta, the capital of Malta today, was named after him. He wears the sopravestita or surcoat of the Order, bearing a white cross on a red field (the Templars had a red cross on a white field, now the national flags of England and of Savoy).

THE KNIGHTS OF RELIGION (3)

The Knights of Malta continue to occupy not only their headquarters in the Palazzo di Malta, Via Condotti, Rome, but also still occupy the Villa Malta, the palace of the Order's Grand Priory of Rome, on the Aventine Hill, one of the original Seven Hills of Rome. This palace is famous for its squint, the keyhole of the main gate, through which tourists can view the dome of St Peter's Basilica but which, through optical illusion, appears much greater than normal. The Aventine Palace also looks directly over the Sublician Bridge, the famous bridge defended, in ancient Roman times, by Publius Horatius Cocles against the invading Etruscan army of Lars Porsena of Clusium, immortalised by English author and public figure, Lord Macaulay (1800-1859), in his poem Horatius at the Bridge, first published in his Lays of Ancient Rome in 1842. It contains this well-known and most famous verse: "Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate: 'To every man, upon this earth, Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better, Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his gods?' ". It is fitting that the site of the bridge for this famous scene should now lie directly below the palace of the Knights of Malta who, in times past, were called upon to defend Roman Christendom and Church.

the habsburgs

"Habsburg", the greatest of imperial names, is a municipality in the district of Brugg in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. The name comes from Habichtsburg meaning "Hawk's Castle". Around 1020, Radbot of Habsburg built Habsburg castle, which was the original family seat of the Habsburgs, the dynasty that later became so prominent as Holy Roman Emperors. After the death of the sons of Emperor Frederick II there was an interregnum but then, in 1273, Count Rudolf of Habsburg was plucked from relative obscurity to be Roman Emperor, the Caesar of Christendom. His rule was very successful and he united the Empire. His memory caused later Prince-Electors to elect his family time and time again so that they occupied the Imperial throne until its end in 1806 and thereafter they became Emperors of Austria.

Tu felix Austria

Alii bella gerent, tu, felix Austria, nubes - "others make war but thou, O happy Austria, make love!" (It was said of the Holy Roman, later Austrian, Empire that it grew by dynastic alliances and royal marriages rather than by war, especially under the largely peace-loving Habsburg emperors.)

St Maurice, black patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire

St Maurice, Knight Commander of the Roman Theban Legion, was martyred with his whole legion of 6,600 for refusing to attack Christians and became, later, the black patron saint of knighthood, chivalry and the Holy Roman Empire. For centuries the Holy Roman Emperors were anointed at his altar in St Peter's Basilica. The site of his martyrdom, Agaunum, is now St Maurice-en-Valais, Switzerland, in the Aargau, the same area wherein lies the original castle of the Habsburgs. He is pictured with St Elmo.

innsbruck hofkirche

The Innsbruck Hofkirche (Court Church) is probably the apotheosis of imperial court design and archtecture. Built in a Gothic church located in the Altstadt (Old Town) district of the imperial city of Innsbruck, Austria, it is a magnificent example of its kind. The church was built in 1553 by Emperor and Caesar (Kaiser) Ferdinand I (1503–1564) as a memorial to his grandfather Emperor and Caesar (Kaiser) Maximilian I (1459–1519), whose cenotaph (centre of picture) portrays a truly magnificent and remarkable collection of German Renaissance sculpture. The sacrophagus, although it does not contain the remains of Kaiser (Caesar and Emperor) Maximilian I, is nevertheless surrounded, in a guard of honour, by magnificent bronze statues of his most prominent relations and some of the great figures of history like King Clovis, first Christian king of the Franks, King Theodoric of the Goths, King Godfrey of Bouillon, King Arthur of Britain (amusingly styled "of England") and others. The church also boasts the tomb of Andreas Hofer, the folk hero of the Tryol who defended both Church and Empire against the invading Bonaparte and his hordes of anti-Catholic, Freemasonic and secularising invaders.

the loyal tyrol

The freedom- and peace-loving Tyroleans like to sing, dance and enjoy life. They were long faithful to the Holy Roman Emperor and he to them. In a foundational document, the Magna Carta of the Tyrol, and called the Tirolerfreiheitsbrief, or the "Imperial Tyrolean Freedom Brief", Kaiser (Emperor and Caesar Augustus) Maximilian I confirmed their right not to be taxed or drafted into military service without the consent of their Parliament, the Landtag in Innsbruck. They thus had "no taxation without representation" for some 600 years before the American revolutionaries thought they had invented the idea. Led in 1809 by the heroic innkeeper Andreas Hofer and others, including Josef Speckbacher and Capuchin friar, Father Joachim Haspinger, they defeated the invading troops of the anti-Catholic, Pope-imprisoning Bonaparte, three times. But Hofer was betrayed by a traitor, taken to Mantua for a show trial and then shot by personal order of the Corsican usurper. The Song of Andreas Hofer is now the proud anthem of the Tyrol.

the peace emperor

His Majesty, the Blessed Emperor Charles of Austria, heir to the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire, pictured as a young officer of cavalry; he later tried to stop the Great War, a fratricidal disaster orchestrated by the enemies of Christendom - but they let him not and instead persecuted him for his pious and chivalrous love of justice, charity and peace so that he died in exile aged just 34...

the peace pontiff

His Holiness, Pope St Pius X, also tried to stop the Great War which set brother against brother and Christian against Christian; his motto was omnia instaurare in Christo - to restore all things in Christ - but he, too, was prevented and persecuted and died a man of sorrows on the eve of the suicidal conflict he had so nobly tried to stop...

christian chivalry and honour

Chivalry, meaning the whole company of knights (from chevalier, French for a mounted knight), later came to mean the knightly Code of Honour. "Chivalry is only a name for that general spirit or state of mind which disposes men to heroic actions, and keeps them conversant with all that is beautiful and sublime in the intellectual and moral world" (The Broadstone of Honour, Kenelm Digby). "And there by ordnance of the Queen it was judged upon Sir Gawaine for ever after he should be with all ladies, and fight their quarrels, and that he should never refuse mercy to him that asketh mercy. Thus was Gawaine sworn upon the four Evangelists" (Morte d'Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory). The chief virtues of Chivalry are Courtesy, Mercy, Religion, Generosity, Hospitality, Courage and Defence of the weak and helpless.

St Bridget of Sweden

St Bridget of Sweden received great revelations concerning chivalry, founded the Order of the Most Holy Saviour and the Royal Convent of Vadstena, Sweden, esteemed and encouraged the military-religious orders and urged and rebuked bishops and popes - especially the latter for not returning to Rome from his "Babylonish captivity" at Avignon in France. Our Lord appeared to her, extolling chivalry, and saying: "A knight who keeps the laws of his order is exceedingly dear to me. For if it is hard for a monk to wear his heavy habit, it is harder still for a knight to wear his heavy armour".

of courtesy

"Of Courtesy, it is much less, Than Courage of Heart or Holiness, Yet in my Walks it seems to me, That the Grace of God is in Courtesy... Our Lady out of Nazareth rode, It was Her month of heavy load; Yet was her face both great and kind, For Courtesy was in Her Mind." (On Courtesy, Hilaire Belloc).

inventio crucis per helena

Roman Empress Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta), wife of Emperor Constantius Chlorus, and the mother of Emperor Constantine, in 325, on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, discovered the True Cross near Calvary and ordered the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. She also found the nails of the Crucifixion. Her palace in Rome was later converted into Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. It was also said that she was a daughter of King Coel of Camulodunum (“Old King Cole”) and it is clear that Constantine learned of Christianity in Britain.

Blessed Pope Pius IX

Once the enemies of the Church had secured the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, their next target was the Papal States. Under the false guise of Italian Nationalism (which later became Fascism), the secularists of the Risorgimento replaced the benign rule of the popes with that of the corrupt and decadent King Victor Emmanuel of Savoy and his even worse ministers. Once the walls of Rome were breached, Blessed Pope Pius IX ordered his loyal troops, who included many from the great Catholic families of Europe, to surrender lest there be blood spilt in the streets of the Holy City. After that he and his successors remained prisoners of the Italian revolutionaries until 1929. The next target for the revolutionaries was the Austrian Empire and they achieved their aim by 1918, careless that it had cost the lives of tens of millions of young men, senselessly slaughtered in the trenches of the Great War.

Pontifical Zouaves of Pius IX

The Pontifical Zouaves formed part of the infantry troops that defended the Papal States and Rome in 1870 when the Italian revolutionaries attacked with the aim of annexing them and imprisoning the Pope. The Pope frequently visited his loyal Zouaves and was warmly received by all the officers and men of this gallant band of Catholic heroes.

pope innocent iii on the empire

"...We acknowledge as we are bound, that the right and authority to elect a king (later to be elevated to the Imperial throne) belongs to those princes to whom it is known to belong by right and ancient custom; especially as this right and authority came to them from the Apostolic See, which transferred the Empire from the Greeks to the Germans in the person of Charles the Great. But the princes should recognize, and assuredly do recognize, that the right and authority to examine the person so elected king (to be elevated to the Empire) belongs to us who anoint, consecrate and crown him." (Venerabilem, 1202, Pope Innocent III)

POPE PIUS VI ON MONARCHY

"In fact, after having abolished the monarchy, the best of all governments, it [the French Revolution] had transferred all the public power to the people — the people... ever easy to deceive and to lead into every excess…" (Pourquoi Notre Voix, 17 July 1793, Pope Pius VI). This unfortunate and heroic pope was persecuted to an early death by Bonaparte, whose general, Berthier, took Papal Rome on 10 February 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of Pope Pius VI the renunciation of his temporal authority. Upon his refusal he was made prisoner, and on 20 February was taken to Siena, and thence to the Certosa, near Florence. Thereafter he was taken to Parma, Piacenza, Turin and, then, via Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme. There he died, on 29 August 1799, six weeks after his arrival, worn out by his ill-treatment, after an otherwise long papacy. The French revolutionaries persistently blocked his proper burial and obsequies which did not take place until 19 February 1802 in Rome.

aquinas on kingship

“If therefore, kingship, which is the best form of government, seems to be worthy of avoidance mainly because of the danger of tyranny, and if tyranny tends to arise not less but more often under the government of several, the straightforward conclusion remains that it is more advantageous to live under one king than under the rule of several persons.” (De Regimine Principum, chapter VI, St Thomas Aquinas)

BELLARMINE ON MONARCHY

“If monarchy is the best and most excellent government, as above we have shown, and it is certain that the Church of God, instituted by the most sapient prince Christ, ought to be best governed, who can deny that the government of it ought to be a monarchy?” (De Romano Pontifice, St Robert Bellarmine)

dante on monarchy

"[The] Imperial authority derives immediately from the summit of all being, which is God...But before the Church existed, or while it lacked power to act, the Empire had active force in full measure. Hence the Church is the source neither of acting power nor of authority in the Empire, where power to act and authority are identical...since it is impossible that an effect should exist prior to its cause...Christ attests it, as we said before, in His birth and death. The Church attests it in Paul’s declaration to Festus in the Acts of the Apostles: 'I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged'; and in the admonition of God’s angel to Paul a little later: 'Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar'; and again still later in Paul’s words to the Jews dwelling in Italy: 'And when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had aught to accuse my nation of', but 'that I might deliver my soul from death'. If Caesar had not already possessed the right to judge temporal matters, Christ would not have implied that he did, the angel would not have uttered such words, nor would he who said, 'I desire to depart and be with Christ', have appealed to an unqualified judge". (De Monarchia, Book III, Ch.XIII, Dante Alighieri)

return of the king

"From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring, renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king!" (The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien, Roman Catholic author)

the royal stuarts - aymez loyauté - love loyalty

Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), with Cameron of Lochiel, on his right, and Lord Forbes of Pitsligo (or possibly MacDonald of Clanranald), his most faithful followers among the Jacobite Clan chiefs. Aymez Loyauté ("love loyalty") was the motto of the Royal Stuarts, the legitimate kings of Britain and Ireland but illegally excluded from their rightful throne because, since King James II and VII, they were Roman Catholics and wished to repeal the disgracefully savage laws that meant a man could be hanged, drawn and quartered for repudiating the Anglican and Presbyterian State churches. King James issued a "Declaration of Indulgence" giving religious freedom to his subjects. However, the bigoted anti-Catholic Whigs plotted and instigated treason and invited a foreign power to invade Britain and Ireland, establishing a Dutch Protestant as king. "Dutch Billy" was a pawn of the rich Capitalist Whig oligarchs in Parliament who had disloyally betrayed their true king.

Royal Stuart Arms

skye boat song

"Burned are our homes, exile and death, Scatter the loyal men, Yet, e'er the sword cool in the sheath, Charlie will come again."

henry ix and i, cardinal-king

Prince Henry Benedict Stuart, Duke of York and brother of Bonnie Prince Charlie, later became Cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri and of Frascati, Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church and, de jure, King Henry IX of England, I of Scotland and Ireland and King of France. He was very nearly elected Pope in the Conclave of 1800 so that he would then have been both Pope and King of England. He died 13 July 1807, just after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, so that 2007 was the bicentenary of his death.

the old chevalier

Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, the son of King James II and VII, was de jureKing James III of England and VIII of Scotland, the father of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Prince Henry, Cardinal Duke of York. All 3 are now buried in St Peter's Basilica, Rome, commemorated by a famous Canova monument on the left side of the Basilica. James was a faithful Catholic and monarch. Offered the throne of Britain and Ireland by the British Whigs if he converted to Protestantism, he replied that nothing would induce him to abandon his religion. He was thus compelled to fight for his lawful right to the throne but was prevented by treacherous enemies. The result was that the people of Britain and Ireland were delivered into the hands of the brutal Capitalist Whigs and the British, and especially Irish, people became deeply pauperised and shamefully oppressed. The Protestant writer William Cobbett who lived at the time, wrote of even children being starved to death, hanged for stealing sixpence and transported to the colonies for petty crimes, never to see their families again. Roman Catholics in particular were subjected to one of the most savage and oppressive Penal Codes ever to have disgraced European history. This tyranny was the real legacy of the anti-Catholic Whigs.

Vatican monument to the Royal Stuarts

The Monument to the Royal Stuarts is a memorial in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City State. It commemorates the last three members of the Royal House of Stuart: King James III & VIII, his elder son Prince Charles Edward Stuart, and his younger son, Cardinal Prince Henry Benedict Stuart. The marble monument is by Antonio Canova, the most celebrated Italian sculptor of his day. It is a bas relief profile of the three exiled princes, with this inscription: IACOBO•III•IACOBI•II•MAGNAE•BRIT•REGIS•FILIO•KAROLO•EDVARDO•ET•HENRICO•DECANO•PATRUM•CARDINALIVM•IACOBI•III•FILIIS•REGIAE•STIRPIS•STVARDIAE•POSTREMIS•ANNO•M•DCCC•XIX (To James III, son of King James II of Great Britain, to Charles Edward and to Henry, Dean of the Cardinal Fathers, sons of James III, the last of the Royal House of Stuart. 1819.) The monument was originally commissioned by Monsignor Angelo Cesarini, executor of the estate of Cardinal Henry Stuart. Among the subscribers, curiously, was King George IV, who (once the Jacobite challenge had ended) was an admirer of the Stuarts. The monument stands towards the back of the basilica in the left aisle opposite the main door.. It is frequently adorned with white flowers by Jacobites.

Vatican monument for Queen Maria Clementina

Opposite the monument to the Royal Stuarts in St Peter's Basilica is a monument to Queen Maria Klementyna Sobieska, wife of King James III & VIII and mother of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and Cardinal Prince Henry Benedict Stuart. Its inscription reads: MARIA CLEMENTINA M. BRITANN. FRANC. ET HIBERN. REGINA ("Maria Clementina, Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland"). The reference to France is a continuance of the Plantagenet claim to the French throne, not abandoned until the French Revolution. She was born on 18 July 1702 in Ohlau, Silesia, in the Holy Roman Empire. Her parents were Prince James Louis Sobieski (1667–1737), the eldest son of King John III, and Countess Palatine Hedwig Elisabeth of Neuburg (1673–1722). Imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI who was placating King George I of England (the Hanoverian supplanter) so as to prevent her marrying King James, she was rescued by dashing Irish Jacobite, the Chevalier Senator Sir Charles Wogan Bt, in most romantic style. Following her marriage to King James on 3 September 1719 in the Chapel of the episcopal palace of Montefiascone in the Cathedral of Santa Margherita, James and Maria Clementina were invited to reside in Rome at the special request of Pope Clement XI, who acknowledged them as the King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.

distributive justice

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was the apostle of Distributism by which, learning from the Guild system of the Middle Ages and the teaching of the popes, he re-fashioned a model that avoided the extremes of Capitalism and Communism. It was based upon the principle of Subsidiarity that had been the guiding political philosophy of both Church and Empire in times past but which is today much misunderstood and misrepresented. Here is how the Church defines it: "Still, that most weighty principle, which cannot be set aside or changed, remains fixed and unshaken in social philosophy: Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. For every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them." (Quadragesimo Anno, encyclical letter of Pope Pius IX)

an irish bishop on kings

"The character of kings is sacred; their persons are inviolable; they are the anointed of the Lord, if not with sacred oil, at least by virtue of their office. Their power is broad - based upon the will of God, and not on the shifting sands of the people's will... They will be spoken of with becoming reverence, instead of being in public estimation fitting butts for all foul tongues. It becomes a sacrilege to violate their persons, and every indignity offered to them in word or act, becomes an indignity offered to God Himself. It is this view of kingly rule that alone can keep alive in a scoffing and licentious age the spirit of ancient loyalty that spirit begotten of faith, combining in itself obedience, reverence, and love for the majesty of kings which was at once a bond of social union, an incentive to noble daring, and a salt to purify the heart from its grosser tendencies, preserving it from all that is mean, selfish and contemptible." (Dr John Healy, early 20th Century Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, Ireland)

roman and christian

"Christianity as well as civilisation became conterminous with the Roman Empire. To be a Roman was to be a Christian and this idea soon passed into the converse. To be a Christian was to be a Roman."

christian rome

"She was not merely an image of the mighty world, she was the mighty world itself in miniature. The pastor of her local church is also the universal bishop; the seven suffragan bishops who consecrate him are overseers of petty Sees in Ostia, Antium, and the like, towns lying close round Rome: the cardinal priests and deacons who join these seven in electing him derive their title to be princes of the Church, the supreme spiritual council of the Christian world, from the incumbency of a parochial cure within the precincts of the city. Similarly, her ruler, the Emperor, is ruler of mankind; he is deemed to be chosen by the acclamations of her people: he must be duly crowned in one of her basilicas. She is, like Jerusalem of old, the mother of us all."(The Holy Roman Empire, James, Viscount Bryce)

After Rome: Communism and the bogus "Third Reich"

After the appalling bloodshed of the Great War and the fall of the Austrian Empire in 1918, and with it the idea of the Roman Empire, the gaping void was filled first with tears and sorrow and then with Marxist Socialism in Russia and National Socialism in Germany. Both Communists and Nazis persecuted Roman Catholicism. The Nazis even pretended to be successors of the first and Roman Empire, and of the German Protestant Empire but their claim to be a "Third Reich" was bogus and they were condemned by the Church and by all civilised men. Men hypocritically speak of the violence of former centuries but no century has ever been anything like as bloody as the 20th century.

About Me

Western culture is, above all else, Roman - and Christian Roman at that. This is so because it has been shaped and defined by Roman Catholicism, ruled by a Roman Emperor, guided by a Roman Pontiff and blessed by Roman rites in a Roman language. Even its enemies have been forced to recognise this. Our laws, our science, our culture, our art, our music, our literature, our scholarship, our primary institutions all derive from this Roman and Christian heritage. The oldest rite of worship in the Christian Church is the classical, Roman rite, deriving, as it does, from the ancient Jewish Temple worship, perfected under Roman rule. It is theologically unsurpassed. It is a timeless love song to the Creator of all things. In a curious "trahison des clercs", many today, even amongst the clergy, have forgotten this and so have become disconnected from their spiritual and cultural roots. It is perhaps time to recall and re-capture our traditions and to re-connect with them in a modern setting.